School Administrators Get on Same Page for Special Education Programs

April 16, 2010

A visiting special education director this week helped Thompson School District administrators get on the same page when it comes to special education in Loveland’s schools.

On Thursday, Michael Remus, from the Deer Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, offered local administrators and principals strategies for making systematic changes to special education programs.

During a mor ning session, district officials addressed: "What every principal should know about leading special education." During an afternoon session, principals, as well as special education teachers and parents, took aim at: "Engaging others in the conversation."

"My goal today was to give them ideas and strategy to go back and have conversations about how do we look at these kids and are there things we need to change systematically, curriculum-wise in that building," Remus said. "What are we doing with the best efforts to make that student achieve?"

Much of the morning focused on helping principals around the district understand the idea behind inclusiveness, as well as let them know that a special education overhaul doesn’t have to happen overnight, it can happen slowly.

The day, essentially, was to get the majority of the district on the same page with the Re-imagining Special Education project.

"It’s to build those stepping blocks so that people don’t move too fast," Remus said. "It’s all about student achievement."

Karen Pielin, director of special education for the district who is retiring at the end of the year, said Thursday’s event was to help ease the district into the project.

"I wouldn’t call it a kickoff, but this is the first time we brought someone into the district to talk about it," she said. "We want to put some meat on it now and are really starting to figure out what steps we are going to take to move forward."

Remus, who spent time last year with some of the district’s Re-imagining Special Education design team, s aid the district was on the right track in its project, but noted there’s more room to grow.

"The buildings, when I look, they are all in different places," he said. "It’s just like in my own district. There are some that are already doing it and some that might need a boost."

If anything, Remus said he hoped those within the district took away one idea from Thursday’s event and will be able to implement it.

"If they even take one thing to start the process, that’s my goal," he said. "Making sure they can really utilize some of the tools."

The district already has some of the ideas Remus talked about Thursday in place, such as co-teaching, but Pielin said it needs to become more consistent.

"We are already doing some really terrific things within our district; it’s really to spread it more universally across the district now," she said. "We’ve got pockets of these things going on in the district and I hope (principals) take away that it is doable, but they don’t have to do it all at one time."